The entire day passed in eerie silence.
Lucas didn't see the appearance of a fourth Aunt Chloe.
No ambushes. No surprises. Just… silence.
It made him wonder if the captain had been worrying too much.
But when night fell, the calm shattered like fragile glass.
The players were summoned again—this time to the conference room.
The captain leaned toward Lucas and whispered seriously, "No one got eliminated today. I have a bad feeling... Something's definitely about to happen."
He patted Lucas on the shoulder. "Stay sharp. You never know with this place."
—
In the meeting room, the Dean sat alone at the head of the long table, poised like a cold white swan. The room smelled faintly of lilies… or was that formaldehyde?
She raised a graceful hand as the players entered.
"Please, everyone—take your seats."
They complied. The Dean's crimson lips curled into a smile.
"We've conducted a comprehensive review of your performance over the past two days," she said softly. "Our evaluation has led us to identify the top-performing employee for this phase."
Everyone blinked in confusion.
Phase? What phase?
None of them had been told there would be evaluations—let alone rewards for performance.
But before they could voice their doubts, the Dean continued:
"An excellent employee at this stage has earned the full trust of our senior staff and myself. That individual is now officially part of our organization."
The silence broke.
Official?
As in—they couldn't be kicked out anymore?
It was equivalent to a death immunity token—a "get out of the dungeon alive" pass.
Everyone who had once scoffed suddenly tensed up, nervous and hopeful.
Who wouldn't want a gold medal of immunity?
The Dean looked around, satisfied at the change in expression.
"Then, the best employee in this stage is…"
She smiled faintly. "Jason."
She began clapping.
It took the others a beat to recover.
Then—begrudging applause followed.
Lucas stood up with practiced grace and nodded politely to the Dean and the others. But inwardly, his expression didn't match the celebration.
"I killed two Aunt Chloes... and still got named Employee of the Month?"
"This orphanage's standards are even more twisted than I thought."
After sitting back down, Lucas didn't relax. His eyes stayed fixed on the Dean.
As expected—she wasn't done.
"Now that Jason has officially joined our staff, he will be given a permanent assignment. He will handle this duty alone every night from now on."
Alone.
Permanent.
The word echoed in everyone's minds like a warning bell.
The task list, the Dean explained, would be updated to reflect one less slot. Everyone else exchanged nervous glances. Suddenly, the "honor" didn't seem so enviable.
"This isn't a reward—it's a setup." someone muttered under their breath.
Lucas didn't flinch. He was expecting it.
"Purposeful malice is easier to deal with than fake kindness."
The Dean smiled at him sweetly. "The task is simple. Every evening before bedtime, the children have one hour of entertainment. Traditionally, most employees choose to read them bedtime stories."
"You're free to make the same choice, of course," she added.
Immediately, Lucas's livestream chat lit up.
> : A bedtime story? Told by Lucas??
: These kids are gonna have permanent trauma.
: Not necessarily. The Dean said entertainment time. He can choose anything, right?
: Still, safest to stick to the script. Don't want to trigger another freak event.
The veteran viewers nodded knowingly.
Only Lucas had triggered so many hidden events.
Only Lucas had managed to single-handedly murder two NPCs… and still get a promotion.
With word spreading, viewers from other streams began flocking to his.
> [554,513 viewers now watching Lucas's Supernova Livestream]
[481,681 viewers have sent gifts, earning 481,681 points]
[Current popularity rank: #3, just 100,000 views short of 2nd place]
[Lucas leads in viewer count among all players in this instance]
The meeting adjourned. Everyone else returned to their dorms for rest.
Lucas headed toward the floor where the children lived.
"A bedtime story… That's boring." he murmured.
This floor had a vibrant-looking activity room. If you ignored the horrifying truths about the Angel Orphanage, it looked… almost wholesome.
The children were already waiting.
They were scattered across the room—but the moment Lucas entered, they froze.
The silence was deafening.
Every child stared at him. Wide-eyed. Pale. Terrified.
Except…
Four children stood out.
They didn't look afraid. They looked thrilled.
> [Charlie (Angel Orphanage): Danger Level — High]
[Lily (Angel Orphanage): Danger Level — Intermediate, nearing high]
[Ellie (Angel Orphanage): Danger Level — Advanced]
[Rex (Angel Orphanage): Danger Level — Intermediate]
Lucas scanned them one by one, smiling gently.
"They're growing nicely."
He looked closer at Rex, the fourth child.
"He must be the boy from the dark room... the one who accidentally learned from me."
Facing the nervous room, Lucas smiled warmly—at least outwardly.
"From now on, I'll be leading your evening activities."
Still, no one moved.
Dozens of eyes stared up at him in absolute silence.
Lucas clapped his hands once.
"Let's play a game tonight," he said cheerfully. "A treasure hunt."
The children began to stir.
Curiosity overtook fear.
Lucas explained: "You'll search all over the orphanage for a special treasure."
"Find Aunt Chloe. Bring me her left index finger."
"No limit to the number. No limit to winners. Every finder gets a reward."
For a moment, no one breathed.
Then—
Eyes lit up.
Eager. Bright. Terrifying.
The scavenger hunt had begun.
—
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